Working at the Palace
by Cymbala
Summary: The day before she leaves to work at the palace, Sango falls in love with a monk named Miroku. Turns out, he works at the palace too, but not in the way she thinks...
1. Koi

**Konnichiwa dudes and dudettes! Yes, I know I should be working on my other stories, but I really have been wanting to get this one down. Anyways, just sit back, chilax, and read!**

"WHAT?" screamed Sango. She was in her father's hut eating dinner, when he told her some very upsetting news.

"Sango, I know that you don't want to, but I'm in serious debt. I need you to get a job." He said. He obviously wasn't happy about this either. Sango was still pissed off, mouth agape, trying to comprehend what was happening.

"Father, that's fine, but why at the palace?" she cried. She hated the palace. Sango had always hated it since she was little. She had always heard of the young lords using the servant girls for their own pleasure and how when you did something wrong they would beat you until they were satisfied.

"Sango, it was either this or a brothel. Now you don't want to work there do you?" Sango sadly shook her head. Her father sighed.

"Sango, I know that you don't want this, but it won't be for too long." She for some reason highly doubted that.

"Tomorrow you're going to move there and live in the servant's quarters. You'll be one of the maids." Sango hung her head. Now not only did she have to work at the palace, she had to clean for a living. Why her?

"Fine." She said and huffed out of the hut. She headed into the village, taking a last look before she moved to the palace and wouldn't be able to see it for a while. She passed all the shops, all the hotels, all the familiar faces. She sighed as she saw them all.

"Stupid father and his gambling." She said. Ever since her mother and brother had been killed by a demon that had nearly destroyed the village, her father had basically gone down the tubes. He started gambling, drinking and everything else he could do that would destroy him. Now, he owed money and Sango was paying for it. Sometimes she wondered why all these bad things happened to her.

Now she was passing over a bridge that was built over a river that flowed through the village. Because there wasn't any railing, she put her hands behind her and looked into the water at all the koi swimming freely under the bridge from one side to another, as thought they were playing with each other. She wanted to be like the koi. She wanted to be free to do whatever she wanted and not have to worry about everyone else. She leaned in a little further over the bridge to watch them with a better view, but she began o loose her balance. She started flailing her arms and moving her body everywhere and any which way she could to try to keep herself up. Sango was about to fall in, when two strong arms grabbed her from behind and pulled her back. They had a firm yet gentle grip on her, so it was easy for her to regain balance. As soon as she was steady, he released his hold.

"Miss, are you alright?" he asked. She turned to thank him, but her mouth seemed to stop working when she saw him.

This man was obviously a monk, judging by the way he was dressed. He had long black and purple robes and long staff in one of his hands. He had gorgeous pale blue eyes that could easily stop any woman dead in her tracks and makes them freeze.

And that's just what they did.

Sango had locked her eyes with his, though she was trying to pull away from his mesmerizing gaze and stop looking like an idiot. He smiled a little at her small struggle that she was experiencing and asked again.

"Miss, are you alright?"

Sango finally gave her head a little shake to get her brain back on track. Now properly functioning (almost), she managed out

"Y-yes"

By this point, the two had switched roles, and he was examining her.

"You really should be more careful," he said, "A beautiful body like yours has no purpose being soaked to the bone." She laughed a little at his comment. Sango liked him.

She liked him _a lot_.

"Well, I'm glad I could help you Miss," he began, but Sango shook her head.

"My name is Sango, not 'Miss'." He smiled and gave a small bow, taking her hand in his own.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Sango. I was happy to be of service." With that, he gave her hand a small kiss. She started blushing and as soon as he let go of her hand, she brought them both to her face.

"Don't be so shy," he said, "A girl like you could easily get any man she wanted." Sango blushed more, which just made him laugh.

"Well, I will be taking my leave. It was nice to meet you Sango." He turned to leave, when he was stopped.

"Wait!" Sango said, "I don't know your name!" He turned back to her and smiled.

"I go by the name Miroku." He said. And with that, he turned one more time and walked off into the large crowd of the village. Sango was trying to keep herself steady again because her head was spinning.

Miroku.

He was so handsome and sweet. It was literally love at first sight for her, and of coarse, she had to find him on her last day in the village. She let out an angry 'arrg' sound. Why was it always her? She walked off the bridge to the nearest building and began to lightly bang her head on it's side wall.

'Why did I have to meet him today?' she thought angrily, 'stuff like this always happens to me!' She stopped banging, but was now resting her head on the shop. She turned so that her back was to it and looked up at the sky. Why her?

She suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder that made her jump. She turned to see who it was, and of course, it was Miroku.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said. She recovered quickly, realizing it was him, and gave a smile.

"You didn't scare me Miroku, I was just in though is all."

"Alright, well I was just wondering..." he began, "If you needed help getting home, considering the fact that you almost got hurt today. I just don't want anything to happen to you."

She blushed a little and shook her head.

"No, that's ok, I can do it. I wouldn't want to waste your time." Miroku shook his head and gave a smile.

"Not at all Sango, it would be my honor to help you." He held out his elbow, beckoning her to take it. She looked at it for a while. It wasn't a long walk to her house, and she wanted to spend as much time with Miroku as possible before she left. Quickly, Sango devised a plan. She hit her forehead lightly.

"I knew I forgot something!" she said. Miroku looked at her with a confused expression.

"The whole reason I came here in the first place was to buy food for tonight's dinner!" she said, "I'm sorry, but if you want to take me home, you'll have to come with me through the stores."

Miroku nodded his head.

"Well then my dear, let's get going."

Sango gave a mental 'yes' as she took his hand and pulled him with her. Maybe life wasn't so bad after all. She took him through all the stores first, then went back to actually buy things. They were at a fish shop when the problem with Sango's whole scheme came undone.

The lady who worked there asked for money. Sango collided her hand with her face for the second time today. She hadn't brought money! She was just going for a walk, plus they had enough money troubles. When Sango didn't pay the woman, Miroku got a little worried.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. She looked back at him with an 'I'm so dumb' look.

"I forgot to bring money." She said. Miroku watched her rub her eyes in a frustrated manor and then got an idea of his own.

"I'll pay for it." He said and handed the woman the money and took the fish. Sango looked at him in shock.

"What? Miroku, you don't have to do that! I can't pay you back because my father, he's in debt and we barely have enough to..." Miroku took his hand in his chin and thought as Sango continued to pour out why she couldn't pay him back.

"Well, you can't pay me back with money?" he asked. Sango stopped he babbling for a minute and nodded. Miroku shrugged his shoulders.

"Then I guess you'll just have to pay me back by other means." He said.

"Other means?" she repeated, "Well what do you want?" she asked. She really didn't have anything to give him.

"I don't know. I'll tell you what, I'll think about it, and when we get to your house, I'll have an answer." Sango nodded to him as he smiled. He began to bring her back to the other shops, her panicking the whole time. What would Miroku ask for? She had almost nothing now thanks to her stupid father.

Sango was very careful about what she bought, trying not to raise his price too high. When they were done, all that she had bought were the fish, and octopus, and some herbs. As they walked back to her house, she began to panic more than ever. What on earth could he want from her? The moment of truth was approaching, and rapidly at that. They were almost there. Her hands began to shake, so she held them together, fingers intertwined.

And now, they had arrived.

Sango turned to Miroku who handed her all the things that she had bought. She quickly went inside (her father was drunk and passed out on the floor) and put the things down, then returned outside.

"I've made my decision." He said. Sango gulped hard. Would his request cause her father to really go bankrupt?

"Well, what is it?" she said. You could hear the fear in her voice. Miroku laughed a little.

"Try not to sound so scared! I'm not going to ask for anything that's going to destroy your life or anything. My request is very simple." Sango felt a small wave of relief hit her dead in the face. She let out a small sigh.

"I'm all ears." She said almost confidently, "What do you want?" Miroku gave a smile.

"A kiss."

Sango froze. A **_KISS_**? She'd never kissed a guy in her life! She was starting to get nervous. It's not like she didn't want to, oh that could never be a reason to hold back, but she really wasn't sure what to do. 'Just take the easy way out' she thought to herself.

With that, she leaned up a bit and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Miroku looked a little surprised when she saw his face. He touched the spot where she had kissed him.

"Nice, but that wasn't what I meant." He said.

Crap.

Sango began to play with her fingers. No easy way this time. She would really have to go through with it. Miroku got a little closer to her and rubbed the side of her face with his hand, then took her hand, cupping the other one around her cheek.

"Don't be so nervous," he said, "It's not like I'm going to bite." He slowly began to descend and close the gap between them. Sango shut her eyes as hard as she could, awaiting what was going to happen.

But it never came.

Miroku let go of her altogether and gave a small bow before turning and starting to leave.

"Wait!" Sango called out, "Why did you stop?" Miroku looked back at her.

"I'm not going to force you to do something you obviously don't want to do." He said in a disappointed tone. He tried to turn again to walk, but Sango yet again stopped him.

"But what about what I can give you?" she asked. He turned back and gave a small smile.

"To be honest, you can keep that stuff for free. I was just looking for an excuse to kiss you, but I guess you and I don't see eye to eye." Sango ran up to him and took his hand.

"It's not like that at all!" she cried, "I was just nervous! I've never been kissed...before..."

Miroku turned to face her, and saw a strange sight. Sango was beginning to cry. Miroku whipped her tears a bit before beginning to stroke her hair.

"Sango, I want this so badly, but I won't lay a lip on you without your approval." She was blushing by now, but she was smiling too. Sango got in even closer, almost so that their bodies were touching. She leaned up and kissed him right on the lips.

A little surprised at first, Miroku didn't do anything, but after coming to realization with what happened, he began to kiss back.

When they broke apart, Sango was upset again. Miroku stroked her back.

"What's wrong?" he asked. She began to cry again.

"I have to leave tomorrow," she said, "my father is making me get a live-in job at the palace!"

"That's great!" said Miroku. He seemed really excited about this.

"But we won't be able to see each other!" she said. Miroku shook his head.

"It's alright, I work at the palace too! Today I got a day off!" Sango's tears of sadness were soon replaced with happy ones. She leaned against his shoulder and he quickly concealed her in his loving grip. They were there for a while, until Sango pulled away. She knew that her father would be getting up soon. She walked back to her door, then looked back at Miroku.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She said.

"Until then." He replied. And with that, she entered her hime, feeling as though tomorrow couldn't come fast enough.

**So, whadaya think? **


	2. With Kirara Comes a Surprise

**Ta dah! Here it is! Anyway, let's get on with it!**

Sango was so excited to leave the house that day that she could barely contain herself. She had packed her things that morning so quickly that it was difficult for human eyes to follow. Now, she was dogging down her food equally fast, and her father was watching in amazement.

"Sango please," he said, "You're putting the lightning to shame." She quickly gulped down the rice that was in her mouth.

"I'm sorry dad," she said, "but I can't wait to go and get to the palace!" She started eating again.

"Can't wait? But yesterday you said that you couldn't stand the palace, and all you did was mope about having to go!" Sango put her chopsticks over her bowl and stood up.

"Well, I thought about it, and now I really can't wait!" She went over and kissed her father on the cheek.

"I'll visit you if I get a day off, kay?" she said as she was about to head out the door. He father smiled and gave a nod.

"I'll see you then." He said, and watched as his only daughter left.

Sango had a small spring in her step as she walked towards the lord's castle. She had a stupid smile to match it, and an attitude that would put the Walmart mascot to shame. She had a few clothes in a blanket that she wrapped up and ties around her waist like a bag. All she could think about was seeing Miroku again. When she heard him say that he worked at the castle, she felt like running around and jumping for joy. There was no way that things could go wrong!

It was such a long way to the castle that she had to stop for a rest. She sat on the riverbed (the continuation of the one that ran through the village) and hugged her knees to her body, simply watching the water go by. It wasn't too much farther now. Sango began to feel butterflies in her stomach as she began thinking about her new lover again. A grin covered her face as she looked up towards the blue sky and imagined just the two of them, alone, no one else and the sweet sound of...

"Meow!"

Sango sat up abruptly and slightly annoyed about the fact that her fantasy had just been interrupted. She looked around her, but couldn't find the source of the sound.

"Meow!"

She looked right in front of her toward the river. There was a small cat on a piece of wood, floating down the river. This cat was defiantly in trouble though. It had some visible cuts and some blood stained the fur. On the plank it was barely clinging to life, meowing with the last of its strength.

Sango immediately jumped up and ran into the water. Luckily the current wasn't that strong, so it was easy for her to get the cat and bring it out.

Once Sango had successfully retrieved the vat from the water, she set it down on a blanket that she had brought with her. She had ripped off a small part that she drenched in water in order to clean the small kitten.

Now having a better look at it, Sango could tell that it was a girl, and also no ordinary cat. This little one had two tails and red eyes. It was obviously a mutant...I mean demon.

Sango finished cleaning and dressing her wounds with some near by herbs. As the small demon breathed slowly, Sango couldn't help but lightly graze her hand over her fur.

"So...where did you come from?" asked Sango. The cat who was now beginning to regain some strength, looked up the river.

"From up the river huh?" said Sango. She picked up the cat and put it in her lap.

"I don't have time to take you back to your home...how would you like to stay with me?" The demon looked up and gave a happy

"Mew!"

Sango gave a small laugh. She began to pat the head of the small creature in her lap.

'I wonder if he likes cats...'

For about an hour, Sango sat there, waiting for the cat to get back her strength. By the end of the hour, the cat was running around, jumping and playing. As she chased a butterfly around, Sango couldn't help but smile.

"Well, I can't call you cat all my life can I?" she asked. The cat wasn't really paying attention. Sango thought for a while and then came up with a name.

"Kirara." She said. Kirara stopped dead in her tracks and began to meow for joy as she heard her new name. Sango laughed as she picked up the small Kirara in her arms. "We have to get going." She said, "I'm probably late already."

She packed up her things again in her blanket and carried Kirara in her arms all the way to the castle. The castle was in another village not far from her own. The only difference between the two were probably the people who lived there.

It didn't take long to find the place considering the fact that it was a huge building. She arrived at the gates finding two guards in front. Unsure of whether or not they would let her keep Kirara, Sango told her to hide under her long hair. She approached the guards and bowed.

"Hello, I'm Sango. I'm suppose to start work at the castle today." One of the guards answered

"Oh, you're the new girl. Come with me, I'll show you where you'll be staying." Sango did as she was told and followed the guard into the castle. It was a wondrous place on the inside with four floors and a large square hole in the middle that allowed you to se down to the basement floor. The guard took her down the stairs to that floor and brought her into a room that was occupied by one other.

"This is where you will be sleeping. This girl is your roommate. She'll show you what you need to do." With that, he left. The room was note very big, but not small either. It had a few candelabras that lit the room and of course, two beds. In one of them was a girl. She had long raven hair and a slim figure. She was sleeping right now, so that was all Sango could tell of her.

"Ok," she whispered, "come out Kirara." A small mew came from her hair before a small face popped out. Sango gave her a pat on the head before removing her from the back of her head. She looked around and saw that there really wasn't a place to keep Kirara, not that she expected one.

"You're going to have to stay out of sight, or else we'll both get in trouble, alright?" said Sango. Kirara gave a happy 'mew' and licked Sango's cheek. As she giggled a bit at Kirara's actions, Sango had an idea.

'Maybe I can find Miroku...' She quietly opened the door to the room as to not awake her roommate and told Kirara to stay put. She closed the door with caution and looked around. There sure were a lot of rooms down here. Might as well get started.

Sango looked and asked in every room for Miroku, but no one seemed to know him. After about an hour, she had gone through all the rooms. She stood there, puzzled. Why didn't anyone know him? Then it hit her.

Miroku was a monk. He was probably situated on a higher floor. She looked around and found the flight of stairs that would take her up. She looked around on the first floor, but her wasn't there either. However, when she was about to check the next floor, she was stopped by the guard that had shown her her room.

"Miss, what are you doing here?" Unable to think of an excuse, she just began to stutter.

"All new employees are suppose to meet the lord and his son. Didn't that girl tell you?" Sango shook her head. The guard sighed and yet again asked Sango to follow him. They went up all the way to the top floor and walked into a vast room. It was almost empty with some statues, candelabras, and a place toward the front of the room where the lord sat, drinking sake that was being poured by another servant girl. Sango was told to sit in front of the lord and bow. She did as she was told.

"I am the Lord of these lands. My name is of no importance to you, seeing as you will address me as 'my lord'. You do not have to work today because you just got here, but tomorrow your labor begins. Your father has some very large debts so don't expect to leave soon. Should you get on my nerves, or should I see that you are not working up to my standards, you will be sent to the nearest brothel to finish paying off the money."

Sango was getting rather annoyed at the lord's attitude. However, she respectfully raised her head and began to speak.

"Thank you my lord," she said, "thank you for allowing me this day to rest." Now he was feeling pleased with himself, just as Sango wanted him to be.

"Before I take my leave back to my quarters though," she said, "I was wondering if you could tell me something." The lord nodded as if to say I'm listening.

"I am looking for a friend of mine who is suppose to be here at the castle, but I have been unable to find him. he goes by the name Miroku and he is a monk. Can you tell me where he is?"

The lord gave her a strange look.

"I'm sorry, but there is no monk in this castle that goes by that name...there is however..." The lord suddenly got an angry expression on his face.

"FIND ME MY SON AND BRING HIM HERE!" The guards in the room immediately rushed out and returned not long after with a man. This man looked very familiar to Sango, especially his eyes.

She let out a small gasp and covered her mouth with her hands. It was Miroku!

"Miroku!" yelled the lord, " do you know this woman?" Miroku looked over at Sango and almost immediately his eyes widened.

"Sango!" he said. Sango couldn't utter a word.

'He's the lord's SON?'

**Well there ya go. I had an idea that could make the story a bit longer, so that's cool...review!**


	3. Kagome and Koharu

**Well, this is turning out to be quite the chain of events, right? Anyway, there're two new characters in this one, the friend, and the bitch who's going to cause more trouble later. Poor Sango...I'll have to hurt her fater for doing this to her later...And as for Miroku, well just wait till you read what i did to him!**

Sango sat there in awe, just staring at the man who she had thought to be a monk. He looked like the same person, except he was dressed in castle clothes. She couldn't stop staring at him as it was taking a while to sink in. Miroku walked over to Sango and squatted down next to her.

"Sango? Sango, it's me!" he said. She gave her head a small shake and came back to reality.

"What the hell are you doing? I thought you worked here!" He gave a nervous laugh and gave his head a scratch.

"Well see...When I said that...I meant I worked here... as the lord's son?"

Sango couldn't believe what she was hearing. Miroku had lied to her! The same Miroku that she had fallen head over heels for just the previous day! It had been a long time since she'd felt so betrayed. She got up and bowed to the lord before turning and heading for the door. Miroku grabbed her hand though before she left. She looked back at him, trying to searc his face for more answers as though it were a cheat book. However, it looks like he was made from a cheap company, because no matter how hard she loked, she was still confused.

"Sango please listen to me..." She pulled her hand away and shook her head vigorously before running out of the room. he slowly brought his hand back to his side.His heart had never felt so heavy as it did when he saw her run out the door.

"Miroku!" said the lord, "You were out in Uesugi Village again weren't you?" Miroku turned back to the lord.

"Yes father, but..." he tried to explain

"You were out looking for women again weren't you?" Miroku clenched his fist

"Yes Father, but listen..."

"Miroku, when will you stop this insane behavior? You don't need those lowly village girls when there are many ladies of nearby states dying to marry you!"

"Father listen..."

"You can't always go into the villages whenever you want to just to meet some girl..."

"She's not just some girl!" Miroku yelled

"Watch your mouth! Now we are ending this discussion now. You are not to enter Uesugi village without permission, do you understand?"

"Father"

"Do you understand?" he said in a more firm tone. Stiffly and reluctantly, Miroku answered with a

"Yes Father." And he too left the room angry as ever. How dare he refer to Sango as 'some girl'? She was so much more than that, and now...

Miroku pounded the wall next to him. He had really messed up this time.

Sango was now running down the stairs, tears beginning to form in her eyes which were hidden under her bangs.

'I feel like such an idiot. He's the lord's son, there's no way he's going to want to be with a poor village girl like me!' She ran into her new room and slammed the sliding door shut. With her back against it, she slowly slide down and began to cry into her hands, until she felt one on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" asked the person attempting to comfort her. Sango looked over and saw that it was the girl that she had seen sleeping in the room earlier. Sango could now see that she had a slender waist and overall good figure. She was dressed in a kimono like Sango's, but it was blue and didn't have a top skirt like hers. The girl also had wonderful chocolate brown eyes that seemed to help Sango feel better on sight. The girl then began to rub Sango's back to try and comfort her more.

"What happened to you? Did someone from your family die?" Sango shook her head and hugged her knees. The girl continued to rub her back.

"We haven't been properly introduced. My name is Kagome." Said the girl. Sango wiped her eyes and replied

"I'm Sango."

"Tell me what happened Sango. I may not look it, but I'm a petty good listener."

Sango told Kagome everything about how she met Miroku, and the events that had just recently taken place. Kagome listened the entire time, her attention never staggering. When the story was complete, Kagome just sighed.

"So you were just another victim huh?" Sango gave a surprised look.

"ANOTHER victim?"

"Yeah. Miroku sneaks out to your village all the time to try and get women to sleep with him. They end up working here to be close to him, and then they get their hearts broken. I'm sorry that you had to go through that."

Sango felt like her whole world had just come crashing down. So it was all a lie. Miroku didn't love her like she thought he did. She wanted to breakdown. She wanted to die. Sango was pretty much ready to do anything that would take her away from this stupid pain in her heart.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Kagome. Sango gave an emotionless nod and walked over to her bed and lay down to go to sleep. She really just needed time to detox from everything that had happened today. A small 'mew' could be heard from the corner of the room where the small Kirara came out and lay next to her owner's head. Slightly surprised to see a cat in the room, Kagome started to pet Kirara.

"What's her name?"

"Kirara." They wee like that for a while, Kagome petting Kirara, Kirara trying to make Sango feel better, and Sango, just wishing for the peace of sleep to come.

On the top floor, Miroku was looking out on a balcony that was in his room. The sun was beginning to set and the day couldn't have gone any slower. Miroku had yet to stop cursing himself for what had happened with Sango. She probably hated him by now for what he did, I mean, who wouldn't? The one woman that he truly cared about thought he was the biggest ass in the world.

Smooth.

'There must be some way I can make it up to her...' Just then, Miroku's door opened. It as one of the servant girls.

"Pardon me my lord," she said, "but Princess Koharu is here from the Nagase state." Miroku thanked her and dismissed her. Koharu was a princess of the Nagase state, and it was no secret that she was in love with Miroku. She came by at last once a week to see him and try to get him to fall in love with her, but it never worked. He waited in his room for Koharu to arrive, treasuring his last moments before she arrived. Unfortunately, they were short, and she arrived not long after. She ordered on of the girls to bring them sake and took a seat next to Miroku. She seemed to be dressed in one of her finest kimono tonight.

"Miroku, it's so nice to see you!" she said. Miroku merely nodded and looked back out at the sunset. He couldn't get Sango of his mind...

"Miroku, isn't this nice, just you and I together? **_ALONE?_**" Miroku yet again nodded like he didn't care (which he didn't) and continued to look at the sun. The girl brought in the sake and quickly left.

'I wonder what it would be like to watch the sunset with her...' Koharu began to press herself against Miroku trying to get his attention.

"You know I'd do anything for you right?"

Nod. She turned his face to look at her and in a seductive tone said

"Anything." Miroku had to stop her here. He pushed her off of him and got up.

"What is with you Koharu? Since when do you only think about sex?" Koharu stood up, her face red.

"Since all you do is go into Uesugi village to get it! Miroku, you need to stop trying to get all those girls when you know that I'm the only one that really loves you!" Miroku shook his head.

"Koharu please, why do you have to act like this?" She was going to start crying soon.

"Because I want you to love me like I love you, and I don't care how far I have to go to get you there!" she ran into him and kissed him, which he broke very quickly.

"Koharu, I'm sorry, but I'm never going to feel that way about you." The tears were spilling over. He kind of smiled and looked back at the almost totally disappeared sun.

"Because I love someone else." Koharu became angry again.

"Who? Is it another one of your village whores that you always go out to see?" Miroku began to glare at her.

"What?"

"You heard me. That trash that you always seem to take with you under the covers! You need to stick with women like me with class and leave those filthy whores-"

SMACK

Koharu caught herself as she hit the floor holding her recently struck cheek. Standing above her was a Miroku that she's never seen before. All that was there in his eyes were hate and anger.

"Whore, trash, some girl, I'm tired of it! I'm tired of everyone talking about her as if she's a piece of shit I picked up off the street! What you people don't seem to get is that she's not just 'some girl' or 'trash'. She's an amazing person, and the last thing I need is for you to be insulting her, now leave this castle, and don't came back, or I really will hurt you."

Koharu got up and out of the room, and headed down the stairs. As Miroku listened to the sound of her footsteps fade away, he felt a sudden sense of calmness and relief rush over him. He was rid of Koharu! Not really caring about the scolding that his father would give him later, Miroku walked over to the small table where the sake was.

Miroku took a small saucer and filled it up with sake and held it in the air, as if to hold a toast.

"To the ending of one woman problem," he began, "and the beginning of a new one." And with that, he took a sip.

**Well, there ya have it. Next chapter, sango starts working with kagome in the castle and she gets to meet some other people who work there. Oh don't worry, she'll be alright...for now...**


	4. Meeting at Sunrise

**Sorry people, I needed a break from writing, but I'm trying to get some more up before my next break. Hopefully, you'll like it!**

Sango lay in her bed on the floor, looking up at the ceiling with both of her arms behind her head, providing extra comfort to her skull. The small demon cat Kirara had placed herself on Sango's stomach, sleeping happily and peacefully. That's what Sango wanted more than anything right now. Just to be able to fall asleep and have some escape from the pain that she was feeling. However, fate had been cruel lately and it had no intention of letting up right now.

Next to her, Kagome lay sleeping as well. Kagome had been quiet all night, which was a relief to Sango, since her father used to snore when he slept. At least she could look forward to sleeping well at night.

If she ever COULD get to sleep that is.

'I can't obsess over him,' she thought, 'Kagome even said that I was just another girl that was part of his perverted game... but...'

Sango sat up. She really needed to think about this. It was really early in the morning she guessed, so most of castle would be asleep. If she was careful, she could probably manage not getting caught and could just get out for a small walk to clear her head. Silently, she removed Kirara from her stomach with a very gentle grasp and set her on the floor next to her. Receiving a small meow from the cat demon, Sango stood up feeling a little light headed from lying down for so long. She tiptoed over to the door over to the door and quietly slid it open as to not wake Kagome, and then slid it closed just as soundlessly once on the other side.

Now that she was out of the room, Sango just had to be careful of any guards that were lingering around this early in the morning. There wasn't any problem getting up the stairs, but climbing a floor wasn't the thing she was worried about.

She quickly hurried to where the front door was located, but stopped short and hid in a nearby room. There were guards at the doors, probably making sure that no one went in or out of the castle. Sango gave a quiet sigh and

slumped a little. Fresh air would have done her some good, but it looked like that was not going to happen. She looked up at the ceiling and rested her head against a wall. Now what should she do? It's not like she could just climb out a window and escape!

'That's it!' she thought, 'A window would keep me in the castle, but I still get to look outside! Just what I need to clear my head.'

She climbed up another flight of stairs, now on the second floor. She looked around to make sure that there wasn't anyone there, and then started to walk down the hall. She remembered from the day before when the man had taken her through this floor, she had seen a hallway where there was a perfect view of the village from a window that stretched the entire hall, and that was where she was headed. She made a couple of turns through the small maze of the second floor, and passed many rooms in the process.

'I wonder if some part of the staff is stationed up here...' she thought, but pushed the thought from her mind for now. After all, she had reached her destination.

Just as she had recalled, the long hallway had a long opening that stretched its entire length with the perfect view of the rising sun and a wonderful, peaceful village sitting below her.

A small sigh escaped her lips as a frown began to form on them, small at first, then growing bigger. She had recalled why she needed the fresh air in the first place.

"I can't believe I fell for it." She said to herself, leaning her body on the sill and crossing her arms on it. She lifted one hand and used it to rest her face on.

"Why would he trick me like that?" she said out loud. The memories of that day suddenly started flowing back to her as though a small dam had broken in her mind. He had seemed so real, so amazing so...

"Genuine..."

She wiped the small amount of moisture that was starting to come forth from her eyes. Why should she be crying about that stupid liar anyway? All he did was trick her and try to get some action from her. He wasn't worth her time, or her love for that matter.

"That's right..." she said, "Not even worth the time of day!" She tried to feel triumphant, to feel like she didn't need him at all, but who was she kidding? Sango had met him only two days ago, and here she was head-over-heels in love with the guy. She felt weak thinking about him, and the thought of how he had acted was enough to get her to blush.

"Damnit, I wish I could just tell him off right now!" she said, pounding both her fists on the sill.

"I really hope you're not talking about me." Said a voice. Sango shot up and look down the hall. Someone must have been listening, because there he was, right down the hall, coming closer.

"W-what do you want?" she spat, a small blush creeping onto her cheeks. He came and stood next to her, giving her a small smile.

"Well, I came here to see the sun rise, but apparently, you beat me to it." Sango turned away from him, trying her hardest not to look at him.

'Show him that he's not worth anything to you!' she thought. Miroku sighed and looked out.

"It's really beautiful, isn't it?" he said. He looked in her direction, waiting for a reply, but unfortunately, he received none. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

"Sango, listen, I am really sorry that I didn't tell you about this, but it was the only way I could get you to come close to me!" he began. Sango turned her head slightly towards him to listen to his explanation.

"Most people don't want to talk to me or do anything with me since I'm the lord's son. Everyone's afraid that they'll rub me the wrong way and I'll sick the guards on them, or I'll take their land or something stupid like that! So whenever I go out, I pretend to be someone I'm not, so I can actually meet and talk with wonderful people...like you."

Sango began to shake her head.

"Yeah, wonderful people, you mean wonderful girls that you can lure to work here and then break their hearts! Kagome told me all about what you do! I know that I'm just another victim to your stupid game."

Miroku sighed again.

"Sango, it's not like that. Not this time." He put his hand on hers.

"I will admit, yes I used to sneak out from the castle and go to the other villages looking for beautiful women..."

She quickly pulled her hand away from his and put it to her chest, though it didn't help sooth the sharp pain that just penetrated her heart. He quickly grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him.

"But now it's different! I don't want to meet anymore beautiful women, or have any relationships with anyone else anymore!"

Sango gave a small 'heh' at his statement. Did he really think that she was that stupid?

"Miroku, I am no fool! You're going to stand there and expect me to believe that this is the first time that you're using this stupid story? Give me one good reason why I shou-"

She was cut off by Miroku kissing her. 'What the hell does he think he's doing! I should pull away and smack him right out of the castle!' Sango tried to move away, but Miroku just took her face gently in his hands and kept her from breaking away. Sango was beginning to enjoy the kiss, though she tried her hardest to not.

'Don't fall for it!' she screamed in her head, 'He's just using you!'. But unfortunately for her, there was no denying that Sango was enjoying this more and more. She kept trying to scream in her head that this was all a trick and that he didn't really love her, but she lost it when she felt something wet touch her bottom lip.

'Don't...fall...for...oh God..' Sango couldn't help but crack and give Miroku the entrance he was asking for. Sango couldn't help but let a single tear run down her face.

'I want to run away from him...but I can't. I really do love him damnit!'

Miroku pulled his face away from hers, but still close enough that their noses were almost touching.

"I'm not lying. I don't want to meet anyone else because I already have someone special to me." He carefully wiped the small drop of water from Sango's face. He pulled his hands and face away from her.

"Sango, I know that you don't believe me, but I would love for you to give me another chance."

Sango didn't reply to him, and just looked down at the floor. Miroku let out a long sigh. He was about to speak again, when someone came out of the doors to the rooms. It was a man, dressed in armor, a spear in hand.

"Lord Miroku, is something the matter?" asked the guard. Sango looked at the man. 'So it's the guards that reside on this floor.' She thought. The guard looked at Sango with suspicious eyes.

"Is this servant girl with you My Lord?" he asked. Miroku looked over at Sango then back to the guard.

"Yes she is." He said, "I will escort her back to her quarters." Miroku put his arm around Sango's shoulders, making her blush. The guard laughed and turned to go back to his room.

"Alright My Lord, but please, the servants start working soon, so don't take TOO long." The guard continued to laugh as he slid the door to the room he shared with maybe three other guards shut. Sango looked up at Miroku and glared. He gave a nervous laugh and rubbed her shoulder a bit.

"Hey hey, I told you, that was from the past, I don't want anymore relationships with other girls!" Sango looked away from his and crossed her arms.

"However, all jokes aside, I would very much appreciate your answer by tonight. I will be waiting here at sunset for you." He said, turning her towards the end of the hall towards the stairs.

"Should you turn me down, I will remove myself from your life as much as possible." Sango could hear the sadness in his voice, as though it was the worst thing in the world for him, and the thing is, it was. Miroku walked Sango all the way back down to the bottom floor of the castle, where she bowed to him and began to walk away to her room.

"I'll see you later." He said, starting his journey up the stairs. Sango blushed a little bit and began to head for her room. She opened the door and stepped inside, finding Kagome petting Kirara. Kagome looked up as she entered the room, nearly jumping up from the floor.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. Sango gave her a smile.

"It's nice to know that you were worried about me." She said. Kagome gave a sigh and stood up.

"I thought something had happened to you, but I guess it doesn't matter now. We should get going." Kagome opened the door and led Sango out and around the corner.

"It's breakfast time for us, so let's go get some food." Sango laughed since Kagome still seemed annoyed that Sango had been gone for so long. She couldn't help but think about what would happen that night.

'What should I do?' she thought, 'I don't want to get hurt, but if I turn him down and he was telling the truth, then I'll hurt even more. If only I had real proof...'

Sango put her finger to her lips. She was beginning to recall Miroku's kiss. It had been so wonderful, tasted so sweet, and felt so...

"Real." She said out loud. Kagome turned back to look at her, but Sango just laughed and told her it was nothing. When they arrived, Kagome introduced Sango to all of the other people who worked with them in the castle. After breakfast, Kagome took Sango upstairs. Their job was to clean the first floor with about ten others.

"So what do you and I do?" asked Sango. Kagome pulled in a bucket and two cloths.

"You and I have to clean the floor today." She replied, wiping her forehead, "Everyone else will be cleaning in the rooms and on the walls." Sango nodded and took one of the cloths and dunked it in the water.

They had been cleaning for maybe twenty minutes when a couple of others who were cleaning around the first floor began to look at Sango and whisper. She began to feel uncomfortable and told Kagome.

"Really? That's strange. No one is ever usually like that to the new comers... I'll ask, wait here." Kagome got up from the floor and walked into a room where some others were working. Kagome was gone for only a few minutes, when she returned, she had a very strange expression on her face.

"What's wrong Kagome?" asked Sango as her friend came down to the floor and returned to cleaning.

"It's just that I'm surprised."

"Why?" asked Sango worriedly, "What did they say?" Kagome turned to her.

"It's almost impossible to believe. Lord Miroku sent away a woman last night!" Sango was taken aback by this. Miroku did what?

"There is a Lady from a neighboring state that always comes to this castle because she is madly in love with Lord Miroku. However, one of the servant girls who was nearby heard his conversation with the Lady through the wall! Apparently, Lord Miroku told her to get out because she had said something bad about some girl that he was in love with!"

"Are you sure?" asked Sango. Kagome nodded.

"Yeah! She said that Miroku slapped Lady Koharu and said 'Whore, trash, some girl, I'm tired of it! I'm tired of everyone talking about her as if she's a piece of shit I picked up off the street! What you people don't seem to get is that she's not just 'some girl' or 'trash'. She's an amazing person, and the last thing I need is for you to be insulting her, now leave this castle, and don't came back, or I really will hurt you'!

Sango began to smile. Miroku had turned down an elegant woman just to be with her? And the story wasn't over.

"Also, a guard saw the young Lord with a woman this morning. He saw him with YOU to be specific."

Sango felt wonderful. Everything Miroku had said and done were really true!

"So now everyone thinks that you're a whore and you want perks." Said Kagome. Sango's smiled turned to a frown.

"But why? I don't about perks, I just came here to pay my father's debt! I just happened to meet Miroku in the process!"

"Of course I believe you, but it's going to take some convincing to the others." Sango sighed. It was going to take some work, but it would be worth it! After all, she had just received the best news of her life!

The rest of the day went by quickly. After they finished cleaning the floor, Kagome and Sango headed out to the river to start with some of the laundry. They had just finished the last of the sheets when Sango just noticed the sun had been setting and it was almost done.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. Sango began to run back towards the castle.

"Sango, what's wrong?" Sango started jogging in place and turned back to her friend.

"I have to go meet someone!" she yelled, then continued to run. When she arrived, she quickly hung up the sheets to dry and ran up to the second floor. She ran through the small maze and came to the hall where she was supposed to meet Miroku.

And there he was.

Miroku was leaning out the window, looking across the village, looking as though he was just taking in the beauty. Sango took a step forward, which caused Miroku to look in her direction. As soon as he saw her face, Miroku lit up.

'So far, so good.' He thought. Sango continued to walk toward him until there was a three foot gap between them.

"I'm glad to see you came to see me again." Sango laughed and replied

"Of course I came. I wanted to see you!" Miroku took a few steps forward and gave her a big smile.

"Oh yeah? Why?"

"Because I heard about what you did to Lady Koharu...for me."

Miroku paused for a minute. She must have heard it from one of the other girls who worked with him last night.

"You gave up a chance to be married to a young princess with plenty of money and good looks...and instead you chose me." Sango was smiling at him, her hands at her sides.

Miroku got even closer to her and took Sango's hand and kissed it.

"Well of course. She was annoying as hell anyway." Sango laughed at his comment, and couldn't help but throw herself at him to embrace him.

"Miroku, let's try again. This time, no secrets." Miroku wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace.

"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that."

Meanwhile, in a neighboring state, lady Koharu was thinking up an evil scheme.

"I want you to find out everything about this woman that Miroku is supposedly in love with." She said. The man in front of her gave an evil toothy grin.

"Have no concerns my Lady. I shall do my best to help you." Koharu laughed an evil cackle as she thought of what was going to ensue soon enough.

"Get going, and do not let me down Yuki."

**Ok so there's yer chapter (woot) and I really am happy about how many alerts I have for this story! I would really appreciate it if you would review!**


	5. Yuki's Arrival

**Long wait I know, but I really only update when the mood strikes me. Yeah, I'm the laziest chick you'll ever meet, but that's ok, after all, look at all the cool stuff I give you to read eh? Anyway, here we go. **

The next few days were a little awkward with the rest of the staff of people working with the castle. Everyone was giving her weird looks and making sure to stay away from her. Everyone except Kagome that is.

Sango really felt good about the fact that she had only been here five days and she had already made a really good friend besides Kirara. As they dusted all the things in one of the rooms on the second floor, some other girls on the opposite side of the room, also dusting, began to talk about Sango.

"That's the girl I was telling you about!" whispered one of the girls.

"Really? The one who gets perks because she's sleeping with the Young Lord? You're kidding!" the other whispered back. Sango gave a sigh. This gossip was getting really annoying.

Ever since people had heard about her and Miroku, all kinds of rumors had been going around. The one that the girls had just mentioned wasn't the only version either.

Some of the others going around were saying things like she was an ex-brothel girl and just came here looking to get a rich lay, or that she was secretly stealing money from the Lord so that she could get out of here faster. And the list does go on. Sango really began to wonder how people got their imaginations so fired up over such a small thing.

And so the media was born.

Anyway, Kagome had been trying her best to try and keep people from rejecting Sango, though she wasn't having much luck. Sure, when she said something they would stop talking, but then they would talk about Kagome as well. This part made Sango feel awful.

"Kagome please," she'd say, "don't ruin your friendships around here because of me!"

But then, Kagome would just shake her head and say

"Sango, I want to help you. Plus, it looks like I'm the only one who wants to defend you!"

This mini conversation took place very often. It seemed like no one was on their side, except one woman who was about ten years older then them. The reason she wasn't against them was because she didn't go against anybody. She was more like a mother to all.

Her name was Machiko, or 'mama' as everyone called her. She was here because after her husband died in one of the wars, she needed to make money for her two children. Since a brothel wasn't exactly her first choice of work, she got her parents who lived near by to promise to take care of the kids and she would get some money so they could survive. All the money that she earned while working at the castle went to her parents for the kids.

Machiko was a little bit taller then Sango and Kagome, and was always wearing her favorite blue kimono. She said it was a gift from her husband before he died. She had beautiful hazel eyes that went perfectly with her glistening long black hair. She always wore a smile on her face and tried to treat everyone the same, even Sango.

"I wish that everyone would just drop this whole thing." Said Sango that day at dinner. She had her bowl and small fish and sat together with Machiko and Kagome on the floor.

"Don't worry sweetie, they'll all forget about it soon enough, you just have to be patient is all." Said Mama, taking a sip of the soup in her bowl. Kagome did the same, wiped her mouth, then countered

"I don't think that that's the case this time Mama." Sango nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, they all think that I'm going to be getting 'special perks' since I'm together with Mi- I mean the Young Lord."

Mama closed her eyes and thought a bit.

"Well, while that may be true, it's mostly because people are jealous."

"How so?" the other two girls asked in unison.

"Well, they think that you are going to get all of your debt repaid easier and more quickly than they are since you're up there with the top dogs of this place. They're jealous because they want to go home and have no more debt too, that's all."

Sango understood where Machiko was coming from. She'd feel that way to if she was everyone else.

"Just wait and see. I'll try and help you convince people too! How's that?" she said, giving Sango a wink. Sango gave her a bright smile and happily nodded. She looked over to Kagome.

"How did people survive here without her?"

"The world may never know."

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Sango went to bed that night feeling much better since the talk with Machiko-san. She had saved the fish from dinner and brought it to Kirara. After all, cats have to eat too. Kirara was getting a little bigger too. Maybe it was time she started walking around in more than just the room.

She decided that Kirara could wander the halls, but she had to make sure not to get caught. Kirara happily mewed at this new privilege she had.

Giving her a pat on the head, Sango went to sleep, Kagome already snoozing right next to her.

Kirara decided to take her first look around at night since there weren't many people around to see her. Plus if they did, it would be hard to see her at all since it was dark and all they had was candlelight.

She walked out and was taken aback by how big it was. When she was hiding behind Sango's hair it sure as hell didn't look that big.

The small cat demon shook it off and began playing and running around on the bottom floor. As she rolled and jumped and stretched her legs, Kirara found the staircase. Without a second thought, up she went.

She wasn't there for long, when she heard people coming. She quickly hid in a shadow and watched as two people walked down the hall, stopping in front of one of the candle lights.

"I can't believe you're showing up in the middle of the night." said one man who was obviously a guard. The other one had to be an outside because of his clothes. When she looked at him, Kirara couldn't help but growl a bit. This new man made her fur stand up on end.

"I'm sorry for troubling you, but I have come a long way. I hope that you will forgive me." Said the outsider as he bowed to the guard.

"Well, the Lord is sleeping right now, so I'll take you to one of the servant's rooms for tonight. Tomorrow you'll get a real room and meet with the Lord and Young Lord. By the way, what's your name sir?" he asked. The new man ran a hand through his hair in such a fashion that it could make any girl faint.

"I've come to be known as Yuki." He said. The guard bowed to him and welcomed him to the castle before going down the stairs and leading Yuki to a room.

Kirara continued moving around the castle and exploring, but the thought of Yuki really was bothering her. She ended up returning before sunrise.

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Sango woke up very easily that morning. She stretched and gave a long yawn. She looked over to her side and noticed that the bed that Kagome occupied was currently free of life. Kagome wasn't even in the room. She got up and went outside to see if she was already at breakfast.

When she arrived to the dinning area, there was a large crowd of people, mostly women, in ca certain area, all facing the same direction. Sango looked around and saw Kagome and carefully made her way over.

"Hey, why is everyone gathering here?" she asked. Kagome looked at her and shrugged.

"They all wanted to see this new guy who they said was really hot. He's the one over there with the short black hair and green eyes."

Kagome pointed over to the man that everyone was staring at. When she first looked at him, nothing, but after a few seconds of processing, a blush soon came to spread across her face. He really was gorgeous! Short black hair, jade eyes, and a perfectly shaped face. His bady, from what they could see, wasn't too shabby either.

"Hey you," said Kagome to her friend, "you have a man already. The last thing you need is more rumors about you being a slut."

Sango immediately snapped out of it. Kagome was right. She already had enough on her plate with Miroku, and the last thing she needed was to like another guy. It's not that Sango didn't think Miroku was sexy, oh God knows that that wasn't the case, but the man was just really good looking!

Sango and Kagome got their breakfast and sat with Machiko again. Sango looked over at Kagome and noticed something.

"Hey Kagome, how come you weren't drooling over that guy like the rest of us?"

Kagome blushed and quickly stuffed her face with rice so she wouldn't be able to answer. Sango laughed and couldn't help but look back at the new stranger again. He was defiantly eye candy.

Speaking of eyes, the outsider just happened to look over at Sango while she was staring at him, so their eyes met for a minute. Sango shook her head and blushed, turning back to the others as soon as she came back to her senses.

The stranger smirked as he remembered the description Lady Koharu had given him.

'That's the girl.' He thought, 'Time to make her life a living hell.'

He got up, getting many oos and ahhs from the gathered crowd that was a small distance from him. He started walking towards Sango. She couldn't see since her back was to him, but Kagome and Mama saw.

"Hey, I think you've got someone who wants to talk to you." Said Kagome pointing to the new guy. Sango turned and gulped down the small amount of rice in her mouth.

"H-hi." She managed. He gave her an awesome smile and bowed.

"Hello, my name is Yuki. Nice to meet you." He took her hand and gave it a light kiss. Sango immediately pulled it back and blushed. The crowd of fangirls almost died. Yuki was being such a gentleman, it was partially distracting them from the rage that they had towards Sango right now.

"What was that for?" she asked. He smirked and gave a small laugh. He took her chin in his hand.

"Why do you think sweetie?" he said in a bit of a seductive tone. He tried to lean down to kiss her, but Sango brought her hand up and smacked the living daylights out of him.

He fell back a little from the shock, but quickly regained his balance. There was a loud gasp from the crowd and a few flops since some had fainted.

"H-hey!" she started, "you're cute...handsome...gorgeous..." she shook her head and tried to get back on track, "but...but I'm already seeing someone."

Yuki rubbed the spot where Sango had smacked him.

"Please for give my mistake." He said, bowing to her yet again, before turning back to the crowd of girls all begging to get the same treatment as Sango.

Mama gave Sango a pat on the back.

"Nice one Sango!" she said, "That guy was a real jerk anyway."

Sango nodded, and watched Yuki get mauled by the girls. As she watched, he looked back at her and blew her a kiss, followed by a wink. Sango looked away, then faced Kagome and Machiko, confessing what she was feeling.

"Yeah...but something's telling me that's not the last of him..."

**Alrighty then, there ya go. I know this chapter was really boring, but it had to go up so it could explain some stuff. Anyway, we got new characters, new problems, and pour Miroku wasn't even in this chapter! Don't worry, I'll get him in there some how in the next one, K? **

**Also please, I really would like it if you reviewed! I hate to beg, but it would really make me happy. After all, the more you review, the faster I update!**


	6. Nice to See You

**You see what I do? I bring in all these awesome characters from my mind and cause them to torture you all! Now, onward with Yuki and what he has in store for Sango! **

'I wonder what Sango's doing right now...' thought Miroku. He was currently in the 'business room' with his father, along with another lord from a neighboring state. Unfortunately for Miroku, his father wanted him to see what it was like to be the lord and how you would compromise with other lords.

BORING

Worst part about being the lord's son, right here. There was nothing Miroku hated more than having to do all of this lord crap. All he wanted was to live a happy life, have a family and die old. Was that too much to ask?

Outside of his thoughts, he could just barely hear his father's muffled voice. He was literally blocking them out, lost in his own mind.

'I wonder if I can sneak out later and go see Sango...' he thought.

The mumbled sound of his father and the other lord talking was starting to get annoying. Maybe he could beat them over the head with something in the room...

"Miroku..."

Really though, maybe like the table or something...

"Miroku..."

Maybe he could just choke them. That would be pretty fast...

"MIROKU!" screamed his father. Miroku looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm?" he asked tiredly. His father sighed and rested his head on his hand.

"I'm sorry about my son's horrible behavior Lord Nakano." He said. Lord Nakano merely waved his hand, saying that he didn't mind.

"Oh calm down Kazuya, you know what it's like to be his age. He's probably thinking about how boring this is, maybe even a cute young princess he's found, hm?" he said, winking at Miroku.

Miroku laughed and answered, "Yes, but I seem to be the only one who thinks so."

They both started laughing, though Miroku's father was not amused.

A little later, Lord Nakano left, heading back to his own state. As you can probably guess, it was lecture time for Miroku.

"You wanted to see me father?" he asked, entering the room from the hall. He had planed on going down to see Sango, but apparently, his father wanted to see him.

"Miroku, your horrible behavior has to cease." He began, "When I am gone, I need to know that you are going to be able to hand all of the responsibilities that I have in a dignified manor."

Miroku sighed. This could go on for a while...

"I'm starting to get the feeling that I can't trust you to do any job without screwing it up somehow. You need to pay attention more often. After all, this is your future, being the Lord and making all the decisions. I'm not sure if you can handle it."

Miroku rolled his eyes. He heard this crap everyday from this man, and it never got anymore interesting. He yawned a bit, which really pissed the Lord off. He was about to start screaming at his son for his disrespectful way of approaching things, when one of the guards entered the room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you my lord, but the new employee arrived last night, and he's here to meet you."

Lord Kazuya cleared his throat, returning to normal volume and said, "Fine then, bring him in. Miroku, you and I will talk later." Miroku bowed to his father and exited the room. He passed the guard, and he person behind him

'That must be the new guy.' He thought

The man had short black hair and jade eyes, with a nice body and good looking face. As Miroku passed, the man looked up at him and gave him a smirk. Miroku raised an eyebrow, not really knowing how to interoperate the look on his face. Shaking it off, he walked by, leaving them to their business. After all, now he had time to do what he'd wanted to all day.

See Sango of course.

Downstairs, Sango was with Kagome, working on dusting the left half of the rooms on the first floor. She was working on a suit of armor as Kagome cleaned up the contents of the shelves. There always seemed to be something that needed cleaning in this place, even when no one was using it.

Sango wiped a bit of sweat from her forehead. She had been working all day and it was almost time for their break. She looked back at her best friend as she moved a large sword over to the shelves.

"Hey Kagome, what do you think we're going to have for lunch today?"

Kagome shrugged, but replied

"Hey, as long as I don't cook it, I don't care!"

Sango laughed at her friend's joke as she began to wipe the dust off of the helmet of the suit. She was looking forward to taking a break. Although, with that new guy hanging around, it might not be as enjoyable as she's thought.

Poor Sango's mind had been plagued with thoughts of Yuki all day. She got a strange feeling whenever she saw his face, as though there was just something not right about him.

She was about to ask Kagome about what she thought, when a guard entered the room.

"Excuse me, you're Sango right?" he asked. Sango looked over at him and nodded.

"Come with me please." He said. He turned and headed out of the room, and Sango started to follow.

"Sorry Kagome!" she yelled to her friend as she left.

Sango followed the guard all the way up to the top floor. He took her down a few halls, then came to the front of a room.

"Have I done something wrong?" she asked.

"I don't know, but the young lord requested your presence."

Sango let out a relieved sigh. It was just Miroku wanting to see her. The guard opened the door and she entered the room. Miroku was standing at the far end, looking out a window. As the door closed behind her, he looked her way.

"Nice to see you again." He said. She giggled and bowed.

"Yes my lord, I haven't seen you in a while."

Miroku laughed at the little banter they were having. The fact that Sango played with him like this was one of the things he loved about her. Koharu would never do that. She just wanted to be a princess on her pedestal.

"So, what's going on?" she asked, taking a seat by the table on the floor. He sat next to her and played with her hair.

"Not much. My father is getting angry at me again since I'm not paying attention to him when he's trying to teach me how to be a good Lord."

"Miroku, you really should pay attention to that stuff. I mean, it is your future after all."

Miroku shook his head.

"I don't want it to be my future. I want what the people in the village have. I want to be able to do what I want with my life."

"Hey, it can't be that bad." She said. Miroku looked up and cupped her cheek in his hand.

"Yeah, it can't be that bad if you're here."

Sango smiled at his comment and leaned into him so that he could wrap his arm around her.

"Well, what about you?" he asked, "Anything new?"

Sango froze a little. The first thing that came to mind was the new guy. She started blushing and looked away from Miroku.

"Hm? What's wrong? Is someone causing you trouble?"

She shook her head no. Should she tell him? I mean, she had been drooling over the guy too, but there was no way she could keep a secret from him. After all, they promised to be honest with each other.

"It's nothing really. It's just a new guy that seemed to come out of nowhere this morning."

A small click went off in Miroku's head. Could the guy Sango was talking about be the one he saw earlier today?

"What was he like?"

"He had short black hair and really beautiful eyes, but there was just something about him that I didn't like. However, he certainly didn't think that about me."

"What do you mean?" Miroku asked worriedly. Was this guy trying to hurt her?

"The first thing he did when he saw me was try to hit on me. I told him that I was already seeing someone, but I'm not sure if he's given up yet."

Miroku was quiet for a minute.

"What's his name?"

Sango looked up at him with a worried expression.

"Yuki. Why?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing. I just need to know his name."

Sango decided to let it pass. There wasn't much she could do about it right now anyway. It's not like anything too bad was going to happen right?

Right?

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Kagome took a long drink of the tea that Mama had given her.

"So, where's Sango?" asked Mama. Kagome put her cup down and picked up a bowl of rice.

"One of the guards came to take her upstairs not too long ago. She's probably with Miroku."

Kagome began to scarf the rice down her throat. Whether Sango was there or not, her stomach didn't care. Mama tried to stop Kagome from eating so fast, but she had no effect on the younger girl.

"Kagome dear, you're going to get sick!" she said.

Kagome paid her no mind and continued to shovel down the little white grains of rice from her bowl. Mama sighed and took a sip of tea.

The calm of the room was suddenly interrupted by a few high pitched screams of some young girls in the room. All attention turned to the door when Yuki was walking in.

"What the hell is wrong with those girls?" asked Kagome, "He may have a nice face, but that seems to be the only nice thing about him."

Mama giggled at the small joke Kagome made.

Somehow, Yuki heard what Kagome had said, and how Mama had giggled at the statement. After all, it was hard to hear anything over those annoying girls who were screaming and fondling over him.

He pushed his way through them and walked over to the two of them.

"Now what would make you say something like that?" he asked Kagome. She turned her head away from him and said

"Well, how about the fact that you started hitting on my friend the minute you walked through the door?"

Yuki thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

"I remember you now! You're the one who with that girl yesterday!"

"Hey! That girl has a name, Sango!"

Yuki laughed.

"Well, I'm sorry. Had I known she had such a beautiful name, I would have certainly used it."

Kagome gave a loud 'ha!'

"You don't have a chance with her you jerk! She's already got someone and there's no way in hell that she'll leave him for you!"

Yuki raised an eyebrow at her and sat down by her side. He put his hand on hers and stroked it a bit.

"Well then what about you? You're just as beautiful as her, did you know that?"

Kagome swiped her hand out from under his and turned her body slightly away from him. Who the hell did this guy think he was?

"What is wrong with you? I know you'd just use me to get closer to Sango! And besides, I'm already seeing someone!"

All of the girls who had been crowding around Yuki before were filled with both anger and relief when Kagome said this. I mean, sure, that made him still available, but who the hell did she think she was, turning Yuki down?

"Really? Well, what's his name?"

Kagome began to blush.

"T-that's none of your business!"

Yuki got a little closer to her and whispered in her ear

"I won't tell him about us if you don't."

Kagome pushed him away very roughly. She didn't have to sit here and deal with him. She stood up and glared at him.

"You couldn't pay me to be in love with you."

Kagome then turned her back and walked out of the dining room, heading back to her work, Mama following her to try and keep her calm.

Yuki was left there on the floor, thinking to himself.

'Damnit, this mission is going to be harder than I thought...I guess I'll have to think of another way to get Sango removed other than an affair with me...'

The other girls came and gathered around him, talking to him from all different directions.

"Don't pay Kagome any mind. She's just a little bitch. You should just drop her and her sluty friend and pick one of us."

Yuki sighed. This was going to be a long day...

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Kagome was still storming around the castle and was about to enter the next room to clean, when Mama grabbed her arm.

"Kagome, are you ok?"

Kagome nodded. She didn't feel like talking right now. She hadn't talked about HIM for a while.

Mama turned her around and gave her a hug.

"Kagome sweetie, it's ok. You'll be out of here soon, long before it happens."

Kagome's eyes were beginning to water. She didn't want to think about what was going to happen.

"He won't let anything happen to you... after all..."

Kagome looked up at Mama, who was the only person who knew...

"He wouldn't leave behind the mother of his child."

**I swear that the last part of the chapter just came to me as I was writing. So now what the hell am I going to do? Oh well, I'll think of something... Review plz!**


	7. Help From Kyoko

**I swear, I am suffering from a little writers block for this chapter, but I think that I've got something that will be good. For those of you who might be confused, Kagome is CURRENTLY pregnant, she hasn't given birth yet. Oh, and BTW, can you guys please review? **

"Well, it's getting late, and I have to get going." Said Sango. She lifted herself from the floor where she was sitting with Miroku. She straightened out her kimono and waved by to him.

"I'll see you soon ok?" she said to him, as he got up as well. He nodded a little before stealing one last kiss from her.

"Alright."

She smiled at him, opened the door and left.

Miroku watched the door for a few minutes before turning around and walking back into the room. He lay down on his futon and put both hands behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling, just thinking about the girl who had just left the room.

A smile couldn't help but graze his lips as he thought of what they now shared. However, these thoughts also lead to some unpleasant ones as well.

That Yuki character.

What was his deal anyway? Where did he come from? Was he trying to hurt Sango? Was he trustworthy?

Questions one after another began to pop into Miroku's head until he could barely take it anymore. He sat up abruptly and rested his head on his hand. Maybe he should meet this guy, have a man to man talk with him. If he was going to be competition, Miroku needed to nip it in the bud, now.

He stood up and exited the room, walking down the hall to the stairs. He was stopped along the way by a guard, who asked him if he needed something. Miroku shook his head no. He needed to show this 'Yuki' guy that he meant business.

After all, this was personal.

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Sango had returned downstairs, but had yet to find Kagome or Mama. She continued to look around, but she was unable to locate them. She finally gave in and asked one of the other servants. Her name was Kyoko.

"Kyoko, do you have a minute?" asked Sango as she walked up to her. Unlike most of the people Sango worked with, Kyoko was another person who didn't think Sango was with Miroku because it gave her perks.

However…..

"OH MY GOSH! Sango, did you just come back from seeing Miroku? Did you guys make progress? Are you finally realizing your TRUE LOVE?!?!?!?!?"

She was a strong believer in love. A little TOO strong…

A large sweat drop ran down Sango's head as she tried to get her words out again.

"Kyoko, have you seen Kagome?"

Kyoko's normal smile disappeared for a moment. She first shook a little, then she began to cry. Sango started to worry.

"What happened? Did something bad happened to Kagome?"

Kyoko shook her head and grabbed both of Sango's hands.

"No…and even though you're leaving Miroku, I'm so happy that you've found your true love, EVEN IF IT IS WITH ANOTHER WOMAN!!!!"

Sango blushed so much she nearly fainted. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Kyoko began to pat her hand lightly.

"Sango, I won't judge you for your decisions, and I can only hope that you find happiness! It is the spring time of love indeed!" she said, wiping tears from her eyes.

Sango pushed Kyoko off of her and held her at arms length.

"Listen Kyoko, that's not what I'm saying. I still love Miroku…"

"AND YOU DON'T RETURN KAGOME'S LOVE??? OH THE TRAGEDY!!!"

"KYOKO! Kagome and I aren't in love! I just can't find her! Do you know where she is? Direct question, direct answer please."

Kyoko began to laugh. "Oh, why didn't you say so? Kagome's back in the room she was cleaning before lunch...I think she was upset about something though..."

Sango thanked Kyoko and ran off in the direction of the room that she and Kagome had been cleaning before she had left. Why would Kagome be upset? Sango couldn't have been gone for more than a few hours, what could have happened between then and now?

Sango turned a final corner and entered the room. She saw Kagome on the other side, sitting hunched over. Sango quickly rushed in and took her friend's side.

"Kagome, are you alright? What happened while I was gone?" she asked.

Kagome turned to Sango, quickly wiping away any remainder of moister from her face. "Sango, you're back! Did things go well?"

"On my end, but it looks like you had a little trouble while I wasn't here."

Kagome tried to hold back the tears that were coming back. She didn't want to keep Sango in the dark, but...

Would she understand?

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Miroku was now on the bottom floor, and was now searching the rooms for Yuki. He opened the doors of one room, and found him, lying on a futon, sound asleep.

Miroku stepped in and stood over Yuki.

"Wake up." He commanded. Yuki opened his eyes slowly and looked up at the young lord.

"Shouldn't we talk before we start anything?" he said, a smirk dancing across his features. Miroku growled at the man's ignorance and reached down and grabbed him by the shirt.

"Who do you think you are?" he asked. Yuki just continued to smirk at Miroku, not giving him an answer.

"What are you doing to Sango?" Miroku said, a little more aggressively. Yuki laughed a little at Miroku's question.

"I haven't done anything to her. And what's it to you? Why do you care? Is it a law around here that there can't be any relationships?" he said smugly.

Miroku was just about ready to beat the crap out of this guy.

"You can flirt with anyone that you want, but not her!" he said.

"Why? Is she your lover?" Yuki said in a mocking tone.

Miroku stayed silent. He was in enough trouble as it was. He was actually surprised that this news had yet to fully reach his father, but when it did, Miroku was in for a lot of hell. His father knew that he liked to have affairs with the girls of the villages, but if he knew that he was still seeing Sango, he was screwed. The last thing he needed was to give this bastard the confirmation of that.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

Miroku threw the man back down onto his bed.

"Just stay away from her alright? She's got enough problems, and you don't have to add onto them."

With that, he exited the room.

Yuki couldn't help but laugh at what had just ensued between him and the young lord. Yuki's mission was almost done, but he needed some proof. He had to figure out some way to get what he needed, but he couldn't just go up to the lord and say that his son was having an affair with on of the workers, because then it would be Miroku's word against his, a risky path that Yuki didn't want to take.

He must have sat there in the room for another hour, before he finally snapped his fingers in celebration.

He had a way to get proof.

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Sango had been surprisingly patient with Kagome. They had been sitting there for a long time, and in that span, Sango had done different things to help Kagome feel better. Sango brought her food, rubbed her back for a while, and even tried to tell her a funny story or two.

It looked like this was all the perfect remedy for Kagome, because she seemed to brighten up. Sango was happy that her friend was feeling better, even though she didn't know the cause of the problem. After all, that wasn't the important part right? What was important was the fact that Kagome was feeling better.

"Thanks for the help Sango." She said. Sango gave her a big smile.

"It was nothing. Now common, we have to finish cleaning this place!"

Kagome happily nodded and the two of them zipped through the rest of the cleaning.

They left the room and headed downstairs to the dinning area. It was almost dinner time.

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Miroku walked very quickly up to his father's room. Miroku was going to do something about that bastard Yuki. There was no way that Yuki was going to mess up what was going on between him and Sango.

He pushed through the doors of his father's room.

"Father, can I speak to you about something?" he said. Miroku's father looked up and smiled.

"Of course son, I have something to talk to you about as well, come sit down."

Miroku was a little cautious about sitting down, having a strange feeling that his father was about to tell him something bad.

The lord told the guards to leave the room as a servant brought them some sake.

"I was about to send for you, but I see you came straight to me." Started the lord.

"Father please, I must talk to you about..."

"No, no, son, please allow me to go first. I think that you'll enjoy this."

Miroku watched his father carefully. He picked up a little bowl of sake as his father began to speak again.

"Miroku, I know how much you've been protesting becoming the lord of this castle, but I think that it's just because you're afraid."

Miroku wasn't listening to this crap.

"So I've been thinking that you need someone by your side that's going to help you."

This caught the young lord's attention like fire to a match.

"You mean a wife?" he said.

"Exactly. That's why I've decided that you will be married in two weeks." He said.

Miroku gulped down the sake he was drinking hard.

"Father, you're saying I need to take a bride in two weeks? Any woman I choose?" Miroku's eyes lit up. There was defiantly one person who he knew would say yes.

"Of course not! I have already chosen a suitable bride for you!" he said happily.

Miroku's happiness dropped. If his father chose, that could only mean one thing:

"Father, you can't possibly mean.."

"Yes! You are to marry Koharu!"

**Oh snaps everybody, looky what just happened! I've rally screed myself up here, but I think I can make it all better. Man, I hope I can keep this interesting for you guys! Review please!**


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